Magic show interim report

I’m happy to report that I am alive and well, no small feat after the day I’ve had considering the level of stimulation and incessant comings and goings. Mike had planned to post today but his cutter quit so he had to spend the day on the floor. I’m sure he’d have a few choice words on the matter but I’ll leave that to him; expect his post Friday.

Sally and I started the day about nine o’clock. I attended one seminar on how to start your own clothing line and boy was it packed. People were lined up along the walls, sitting on the floor. I wonder what it costs to put on a seminar at MAGIC? I’ll bet you didn’t know that the presenters usually have to pay to put on a seminar at venues like this, did you? Miracle would have liked this one, I’ll write more about it later but the presenter was coming from retail so it was how to put together a line if you’re coming from a retail perspective. It wasn’t a bad overview for people who want to run a trendy numbers game outsourcing everything but it was light on the kind of stuff you find on FI. It was put on by a vivacious woman by the name of Mercedes Gonzalez. I gave her a copy of my book so I’m hoping she’ll find it worth a mention.

I had a headache the whole day until Sally came back to the hotel to feed me aspirin. I met her and her designer friend she found at the show in the bar and they both nagged me about downing the pills with beer. That the pills wouldn’t work. That I’d curl up and dessicate, resembling an embryonic snail or that I’d end up convulsing on the floor suffering simultaneous liver failure and a cerebral aneurysm. My singular defense was that it wasn’t beer it was a nice pale ale, Sierra Nevada I think. I’m sure they’re right but I still think beer and aspirin go together like needle and thread. Don’t they? I mean, they did in my wooly days. I think I got most of my calories from beer and aspirin. Like 60/40. Whatever. My head doesn’t hurt anymore (so there, Sally) but I am crispy. Too much information I suppose but I gotta cut loose sometimes.

For anybody interested in getting together, we have a meet up planned for tomorrow, 5:30 PM, Hilton Lobby by the registration desk. The invitation is open to anyone.

I have to go decompress. I’m stretched to the limit, way too much noise here and everybody smokes.

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Kathleen started production patternmaking in 1981. Starting in 1993, she began providing consulting and engineering services to manufacturers, small companies, and startups with an emphasis on developing owner-operator domestic cut-and-sew operations. In 2015 she opened a 5,000 sqft. fully equipped sewing factory: The Sewing Factory School. Kathleen is the author of The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing, the most highly rated book of any topic in the garment industry. She's been mentioned numerous times in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, National Public Radio, Boston Globe, LA Times, Vogue, French Vogue and has at least 15 Project Runway alums at last count. Kathleen writes nearly all of the articles on Fashion-Incubator.com and hosts its forum, the largest private online community for apparel manufacturers on the web.

3 comments

I met Mercedes a few years ago at the IFFE show in NYC. She did a seminar on Marketing to the plus-size consumer and you could buy copies of her research.

Kathleen, doing a seminar there is a pretty good idea because people who want to get into the business do attend these shows. I have MAGIC of my short-list of shows to visit at some point just see what’s being produced in plus-sizes.

Kathleen, To give you a little insight on the whole MAGIC speaking thing. It cost $5,000. to speak just for one!!! Workshop!!!. We, Global Purchasing Companies aka Mercedes Gonzalez are an invited speaker. After reading the copy of the book you so sweetly gave me….I preach it’s phrases at all my workshops. It’s so well written and so clear about all the little details that make the whole production. They should use your book as the text book for the industry!!! I look forward to our next meeting. All the best. PS: Take pills with Coke a cola it makes it work faster. :-)

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Often described as the garment industry “blue book,” Kathleen's book is the most highly rated guide to the business. The Entrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing is guaranteed to get you off to a solid start or your money back. Many service providers will require you to read it before they’ll work with you.